John Windele's golden legacy—prehistoric and later gold ornaments from Co. Cork and Co. Waterford

Abstract

Research in the archives of the Royal Irish Academy, especially in the papers left by John Windele, the Cork antiquarian, has resulted in the identification of many new gold objects of Bronze Age, Iron Age and Viking date, which were previously unrecorded or were unprovenanced. Other archival manuscript and published sources have also been used to gain a more complete understanding of prehistoric gold from Co. Cork and Co. Waterford. As a result, the number of prehistoric objects recorded from Cork has been greatly increased. A previously unknown group of Iron Age gold ornaments and a hoard of Viking gold bracelets have been identified also. The significance of this material is discussed. Notes on a previously unknown hoard and a bronze cauldron, both of Late Bronze Age date, are appended.